Photo courtesy of Jennifer Andress for Mayor campaign
Councilor Jennifer Andress announced she is running for Mayor of Homewood on June 5, 2025.
I have been honored to represent Homewood for a decade — as a city councilor and now as mayor. In this time, I have seen real progress in regional cooperation efforts across Jefferson County.
The Birmingham area is unique in that our county has 35 separate municipalities. For a long time, everyone operated in their own city limits, but about the time I was elected to my first term, real efforts began by mayors and commissioners to work together across the county. We are all facing similar challenges and welcome regional economic opportunities; it makes sense to collaborate.
The Jefferson County Mayors Association for all mayors in the county began meeting regularly and passed the Good Neighbor pledge, agreeing to refrain from poaching businesses from one another. After that, then-Commissioner Steve Ammons and the Community Foundation of Greater Birmingham used the JCMA model to create the Jefferson County Councilors Coalition, which I chaired in my second council term. Vestavia Hills Mayor Ashley Curry initiated regular meetings with the Over the Mountain mayors (including Hoover, Mountain Brook and Homewood), and those continue to this day. Irondale Mayor James Stewart hosts the East Jefferson County Mayors for a regular breakfast. Vestavia Hills, Mountain Brook and Homewood’s fire and police departments have agreements to work calls together when needed.
Our networking and professional relationships are a benefit to all our citizens. We can work together to navigate complicated projects and pursue opportunities that cross municipal lines.
One example is our under-engineered bridge at Hollywood Boulevard over U.S. 280, which is frequented by pedestrians and cars alike and earns an “F” rating at high traffic times. This bridge is in Birmingham, connecting Homewood and Mountain Brook over a state highway. We have an incredible team with representatives from each city and excellent leadership from Jefferson County and, with the support of our state representatives and senators, we are finally moving forward with a much-needed solution for improved traffic flow and safe pedestrian access.
Homewood is the best place to live in Alabama. But as Jefferson County Commissioner Joe Knight remarked at our press conference announcing our bridge project’s timeline and funding from U.S. Sen. Katie Britt, we are competing with Huntsville for economic development opportunities, workers and funding for quality-of-life amenities. Regional cooperation and collaboration help to move us forward. A strong Jefferson County means a greater quality of life for all our citizens.
